When the topic of slavery arises in Black discourse, the retort often echoes, “just forget it.” During an episode of Fox News, Tucker Carlson summoned political pundit Mark Steyn to contend that African Americans ought to stop complaining about slavery, stating that “slavery’s been abolished for a century and a half” and that “nobody today has a grandparent who was a slave, and in that sense, I think you reach a point where you need to move on.”[1]
The reality remains that slavery isn’t as distant as Carlson and Steyn imply. Their argument aims to reduce the Black struggle to a mere footnote in history—belittling the ongoing significance of its impact on the United States today. By belittling the most pivotal factor in American history’s national wealth accumulation, the notion of Blacks’ inherent inferiority suffices as the explanation for racial disparities.
During Radical Reconstruction, in which Blacks teamed up with Northern white Republicans to prevent the rise of the Confederacy and fully integrate Black Americans into the post-slavery South, Black Americans presented Republicans with a list of demands. Number one on the list was the redistribution of ex-Confederate land to former slaves. This was logical and rational as it served as both compensation for unfree labor and punishment for trying to overthrow the country. This would have given them an economic foothold to the millions of former slaves who were on shakey ground—not to mention disenfranchise racist and treasonous forces from rejuvenating.
Land was a war-time promise made by both Union General William Sherman and Abraham Lincoln. It was part of an effort to revive the agriculture of the South known as the General Fields Order. Of course, Blacks sought to take advantage of this Act, seeking land that they had worked on as a means to realize true freedom in America.
Did this happen? No, instead, the government gave reparations in the way of both land and money to the very ex-Confederates and former slave owners whom they had fought against, while the former slaves received nothing.[2] This is significant because the argument that slavery was a long time ago only works if the impact of slavery and the racism that animated it stopped with emancipation.
This is not the case, however. White slave owners were immediately pardoned and compensated for the losses of land, slaves, and profit—all tied to slavery. Black Americans were kept economically dependent on the very people who owned them. Let us ask the conservative: what agency could the Black community have possibly had in this circumstance that would have enabled them to compete for their own economic interests?
During the Civil War, a law was passed called the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, which stipulated that all ex-Confederates had to do was pledge their loyalty to the Union, and in exchange, they would be pardoned and compensated for their losses. What did this compensation look like? Former slave owners were paid $300 for every freed slave.[3]
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, $300 in the 1860s is equivalent in purchasing power to about $10,771.52 today: an increase of $10,471.52 over 162 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.24% per year between 1860 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 3,490.51%. An individual white man who owned twenty slaves began their post-Civil War era with what would have been the equivalent of $215,430.40 in today’s rate. The former slaves, on the other hand, started with $0.00.
There was no violent reaction to former slave owners trying to rebuild their lives after the war. They were not lynched or had their new property burned to the ground. They were able to restore their social and economic power without interference. And it paid off for them in the future.
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on September 22, 1962, and was in full effect by January 1, 1963. The Civil War was still raging, and word of the Bill had not spread to everyone. Two-hundred and fifty Blacks in Galveston, Texas, did not find out that slavery officially ended until after the War was over. What was most significant about the outlawing of slavery was the transition to freedom. When slavery ended, Blacks were homeless and penniless in an economically devastated South and the environment that was immediately hostile towards them. They were faced with greater threats to their existence than anyone in the country.
Those telling Black people to move past slavery are not solely attempting to wash their hands off from acknowledging where America’s power and affluence originated; rather, they wish to disregard an enormous debt owed towards Blacks as a community. The United States economic riches were founded on the sweat of enslaved Blacks who labored without any compensation—and who laid down the groundwork for America becoming an economic superpower.
It is a nonsensical notion to urge Black folks to “move on” from the shackles of slavery as this institution’s repercussions have been transmitted through generations and have severely impeded their financial advancement—thereby perpetuating a cycle of inequity. Even after emancipation, Black Americans were subjected to unjust fiscal exploitation and exclusion from mainstream opportunities. Discriminatory acts like sharecropping, convict leasing, and redlining heavily curtailed their economic progress and accumulation of wealth—also perpetuating the legacy of slavery.
Post-slavery economic exploitation became a deeply entrenched issue that plagued Black individuals who found themselves entrenched in exploitative labor practices such as sharecropping—
working on white-owned land whilst exchanging crops gained as rent—which often resulted in them falling into debt and remaining trapped by poverty.
Discrimination and segregation had continually impacted African Americans prior to slavery’s abolishment, but this persisted even following abolition. Jim Crow laws prevented African Americans from obtaining fundamental rights and subjected them to the hostility and violence that still persisted within society.
Educational accessibility was also a significant issue for African American people after slavery’s abolishment, as segregated schools frequently faced challenges such as financial insecurity, resulting in limited resources that left many students poorly equipped for their futures. Illiteracy rates amongst the Black population remained high due to these disparities. The lack of equal employment opportunities due to discriminatory practices hindered economic progress during this time period.
Following slavery’s abolition came a disturbingly violent era characterized by widespread attacks against Black individuals frequently carried out through acts such as lynching: these were specifically designed as methods of terrorizing those not in power to maintain white supremacy. The systematic efforts that were made to disenfranchise African American communities through practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests were additional methods used to suppress voter turnout, ensuring that white political dominance remained unchallenged. These historical injustices had a profound impact on the social and psychological well-being of Black Americans for generations.
One of the major reasons that African-Americans cannot just ‘get over’ slavery is due to the impact slavery has on the Black economy. The organization United States Citizens Recovery Initiative Alliance Inc. lists companies that are directly tied to slave money[4] :
A significant reason why African-Americans continue to grapple with the legacy of slavery is the enduring influence of slavery on various American institutions. For instance, some major entities like the U.S. Government and the military used slave labor in constructing important structures. Faith-based organizations, such as the Catholic Church, had connections to slave-owning plantations and institutions like Georgetown University. Businesses like Brooks Brothers and Tiffany’s benefited from the profits generated by slave labor. Furthermore, banks like J.P. Morgan, Chase Manhattan Bank, and Bank of America were involved in practices like accepting slaves as collateral. Similarly, numerous educational institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, and others recruited and raised funds from slave-owning families. These historical connections between slavery and these institutions contribute to the enduring economic challenges faced by African-Americans today.
It is impossible to imagine the commercial and military juggernaut that the United States is today without these companies—and it is impossible to disassociate their prosperity from slavery. Equally significant is that these companies have all engaged in discrimination against African Americans. Conservatives state that slavery was a long time ago, but the impact of slavery lives in the very present. African Americans cannot just ‘get over’ slavery when white American continues to reap the economic benefits of slavery while Black Americans continue to suffer economically from its impact. A comprehensive study by the Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Socio-Equity concluded that “There are no actions that black Americans can take unilaterally that will have much of an effect on reducing the racial wealth gap.”[5]
There are those who seek to downplay the severity of slavery and the ongoing impact it has on Black Americans today. These talking points are not only intellectually dishonest but also show a complete lack of understanding of history.
[1] Arciga, J. (2019, February 22). Fox News Guest Said Slavery Reparations Based on ‘Nothing Real.’ Tucker Carlson Agreed. The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-guest-said-slavery-reparations-based-on-nothing-real-tucker-carlson-agreed
[2] Menkart, D. (2023, April 17). April 16, 1862: Compensated Emancipation Act [Video]. Zinn Education Project. https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/compensated-emancipation-act/
[3]Hunter, T. W. (2019b, April 16). Opinion | When Slaveowners Got Reparations. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/opinion/when-slaveowners-got-reparations.html
[4] USCRIA. (n.d.-b). Companies and Organizations Directly or Indirectly Benefited From Slavery. https://uscria.com/slave-organizations.html
[5] What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap – Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice. (2018, November 1). Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice. https://charleshamiltonhouston.org/research/get-wrong-closing-racial-wealth-gap/